I also agree with you bmore_aki.
If I were in Dana's shoes, there is NO WAY I would send Chuck or any of the other UFC Champions over to Pride to fight. It wouldn't have anything to do with protecting them.
The reason is WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME! Free publicity for Pride in the US? You may get a short-term payday, but as a long-term business strategy it makes no sense. I'd be downplaying the importance of Pride and their fighters to the US audience too. With the skyrocketing increase of MMA popularity in the US, the last thing I would want to do is to help Pride get a foothold in this country. Zuffa is in this for the long haul, not to get a couple big paydays and then skip town. Why is this so damn hard to understand?
Don't bother saying that Pride had every intention of sending Silva to the UFC to fight, because YOU DON"T KNOW THAT. What I have heard is Pride reps mention Chuck fighting in the Pride event in the US. There is no way Dana should allow that for the reasons stated above.
This is not meant as a Pride bashing, because Pride needs to look out for their best interests too. They are probably laughing there asses off over the fool they made of Dana announcing a fight (Chuck/Silva) that's not gonna happen. Gee thanks Dana, you dumb ass, for making everyone in the US audience go, "humm, who is this Silva guy, maybe I should check him out."
Geez people quit being so thick about this. I'm sick of the bitch bitch bitch.
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